Kerala minister to leave for Saudi Arabia

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 4: Kerala government today said state minister for local self-government K T Jaleel will visit Saudi Arabia for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation of Keralites living in labour camps in that country after they lost their jobs.

Considering the special circumstances in Saudi Arabia, state cabinet, which met here today, decided to send Jaleel and Department Special secretary V K Baby to that country, an official release said.

They will leave for Saudi Arabia in two days time, it said. "Objective of the visit is to know the situation of Keralites living in labour camps," Jaleel told PTI.

"According to an information, 200 Keralites are now in labour camps. The information is that they are not getting food. So the mission is to know their plight directly," he said.

Over 10,000 Indians have lost their jobs in Saudi Arabia in the last few months due to the economic slowdown triggered by low oil prices. Scores of workers have not received wages for several months as their employers have shut down business.

PTI